Emily Grosvenor - Northwest Palate

It’s never easy to cull a list of favorite Salem restaurants down to just a few, but that’s the task I had a couple of months ago when I wrote my first story for Northwest Palate, one of the region’s premier food magazines.

If you’ve never seen the magazine before, I suggest you get thee to a Border’s and pick up a copy. They do a consistent job of featuring some of the most exciting food trends and tastemakers in the Pacific Northwest.

But back to the Salem food scene. I’m not the first person to announce it’s been changing in a direction for the better. I’ve been in this city for just 2.5 years, and during that time, I’ve been thrilled to see a lot happening, both downtown and in the outer pockets of the city. More choices, more talent, more tapas.

The State Fair is coming up, and Northwest Palate saw this summer as a great time to profile Salem’s food scene on the move. You can read the story in its entirety online on page 10 of the online version.

Working closely with the magazine’s editor I tried to include a variety of places to give a fresh look at the city’s best new hands in the kitchen (or, in some cases, the truck). It was the editor, by the way, who added in the subtitle “Eat Salem” to the article, borrowing from the best.

Here’s to hoping more Oregon foodies will set their compasses to Salem to join in the fun.

Well, this "gringa" frequents the carnecerias, the "predictable Mexican restaurants" and the "Portland wannabe restaurants" and am so happy and thankful to have variety. It wasn't that long ago that our options consisted mostly of chains and fast food. Thank you to the chefs of all of our local restaurants for bringing a new life to the Salem dining scene. I would like to also say a huge "Thank You" to Emily for spreading the word about the great food scene happening in Salem! So glad you chose our fair city to call home!

Great article Emily!! Your descriptions of the best in town were concise and enticing! And if I didn't just eat a side of pork, I reckon I'd probably jump in the truck and go get me a snack.

I think it's great that you're able to get the message out to a new reader-base that we're starting to get new and successful restaurants that are unique to Salem. And on a related note, I noticed Portland is even starting to get Salem-copies with a SFNY opening up on Belmont. Those posers.

I hate when articles about Salem start off: Salem was boring or crappy before but things are great now. Get over it. Salem has always been fine. When I moved here, McMinnville paled to what it is now. When I read about McMinnville, I don't here how much it sucked before. Even Portland has gotten better over time. Portlanders love themselves. How about more self-love for Salem - past amd present?